Which 3d printer - 2023 edition

[fezman]

Currently considering which 3d printer to buy. There are a few new printers around since similar older threads were created.

What would people recommend ? Budget up to £750

Does anyone have experience of the Bambu Lab P1P? That is what is currently catching my eye.

 

[sploo]

Good question. It looks as though the Bambu printers have been well received; though there are concerns about the closed source nature (vs Prusa's open source model, and the wide availability of parts for printers such as Creality's Ender line).

I've been running an Ender 3 V2 for a few years, which I've upgraded with a BLTouch and magnetic spring sheet (both of which I'd highly recommend). The newer Ender 3 V2 NEO looks to basically be that straight out of the box.

Creality have an Ender 3 S1; which has a direct drive extruder instead of the Bowden system used by the V2. It's not necessarily better in every way - but if you wanted to print flexible materials (TPU) then it would be a good idea.

Realistically, these printers will do 60mm/s printing and about 800mm/s^2 acceleration as standard. If you add the Creality Sonic Pad (to give the printer Klipper firmware) you can push them further; mostly in the acceleration rates. I find the printing speed is usually limited by the flow rate on the extruder.

Cost of these options (even with the Sonic Pad) will be well under your budget.

Creality also have a new "Bambu like" printer in the K1. It's cheaper than the Bambu printers, but I get the gist that it's maybe a bit immature in design.

The new Prusa MK4 is a bed slinger (like the Ender 3 models), but will be able to print faster. It is however (IMHO) pretty expensive for what it is (with some of the competition on the market now).

The Bambu P1P does look pretty good; though it has a really tiny screen. If you could stretch to the X1 I think it's the better option.

One final option (but a lot of work) is one of the Rat Rig or Voron 2.4 designs. IMO they look less attractive (in terms of cost) with the Bambu printers on the market, but you would get a comparable performance printer with an open source design and a lot of support for roughly the same cost.

Alternatively, if you only want a small print volume then the Voron 0.2 is an option.

 

[fezman]

Thanks @sploo that's a ton of useful information.

One of the things I find attractive about the P1P, is printing straight out of the box. I'm not looking to tinker with whatever I buy. From what I have seen so far, there have been little to no complaints on initial setup. It's print speeds also seem better than the competition & I'm not known for my patience

 

[sploo]

If you want a "product" (i.e. a printer to just get on and print) rather than a "project" (a printer that's great for tinkering) then I suspect the Bambu is probably closest to that right now. Certainly at that price range anyway; I know there are industrial type FDM printers, but they're much much more expensive. For instance, I think the 3 year warranty extension on an Ultimaker S3 is the entirety of your budget

 

[SDev]

Agree with what has been said by @sploo. Just to add that you will definitely need to tinker if you run a consumer 3D printer of any kind; Bambu admit as much even for the X1C (which incidentally looks excellent at £1500). Also, if you want to print with materials such as ASA/ABS, nylon or TPU for strength or flexibility you will need an enclosure. A carbon filter to remove particles and VOCs from the air is also a good idea if you plan on keeping the printer in the house not workshop. The former is preferred as they really do not like dust which clogs the bearings and does all kinds of other mischief to the extensive clockwork.

 

[supertom44]

I started out with Ender 3S1 and it was good, had my fair share of issues but printed loads of projects and tools on it.
I reccently upgraded to the X1C and oh my it's a game changed. The speed of it means I'm more willing to use it, combined with the AMS unit too, switching filaments is a breeze.

 

[sploo]

Good points above about filaments (and especially ASA/ABS). I've always found PLA sufficient for my needs, so it is absolutely worth noting that a non-enclosed printer (like the Ender 3 line or Prusa Mk3 and 4) are not best suited to materials that need an enclosure for heat management.

 

[pgrbff]

I bought an Creality Ender 3 V2 in Feb 2021 for my son then 12. After a while, it felt like I was spending all my spare time trying to get it to work. There were some successes but more failures. It alsonfelt like most of the people on the forums didn't really know what they were talking about and I gave up.
Is it possible to get an Ender 3 V2 working consistently?

 

[LancsRick]

If you're not looking to tinker much then you will struggle as there's still a strong element of that in consumer printers.

At that price point a Prusa Mk3 or Mk4 would serve you well - they're famously reliable, have a huge userbase, and it's all open source so you're not locked into any proprietary system. They'll also tolerate being enclosed if you decide you want to play with ABS+ in the future.

If you want resin, you've got a variety of offerings from Elegoo and Anycubic as the market leaders.

The "ready built" market is now catching up to the enthusiast market with more CoreXY designs available. Bambu has already been mentioned and would fit your budget. They're more complex than bed slingers but able to reach much faster print speeds through their greater acceleration abilities.

Finally, included for completeness but utterly failing your "don't want to tinker" requirement would be something like Vorons (I use these myself) but they're complete self build, including all the necessary tuning to get them working as you wish. These are more of an option when 3d printing in itself is of interest to you rather than the end output.

One important consideration you haven't mentioned - what are you intending to print?

 

[sploo]

I bought an Creality Ender 3 V2 in Feb 2021 for my son then 12. After a while, it felt like I was spending all my spare time trying to get it to work. There were some successes but more failures. It alsonfelt like most of the people on the forums didn't really know what they were talking about and I gave up.
Is it possible to get an Ender 3 V2 working consistently?

Given I've got a V2 running pretty much flawlessly now I'm going to say yes; but there are common issues.

What sort of problems have you experienced?

 

[pgrbff]

Given I've got a V2 running pretty much flawlessly now I'm going to say yes; but there are common issues.

What sort of problems have you experienced?

It is more than a year since I have used it, I'm afraid I gave up, it seemed like far too much tinkering and not sure what wasn't working correctly. The only thing I remember was having to level the bed constantly. Maybe a lot of spaghetti too in the end and never quite sure how close the nozzle should be to the glass for the first layer. It has been a long time but if I thought I could get it working reasonably I would definitely have another go.

 

[pgrbff]

Given I've got a V2 running pretty much flawlessly now I'm going to say yes; but there are common issues.

What sort of problems have you experienced?

Did you do any of the many upgrades available or is it as purchased?

 

[sploo]

I understand the stock bed springs aren't great, so it's advisable to buy better ones. This (Creality 3D Printer Upgraded 4Pcs Aluminum Hand Twist Leveling Nuts and 4Pcs Hot Bed Springs for Ender 3/3 Pro, Ender 5/5 Plus/5 Pro, CR-10/10S/10S Pro V2: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science) with the yellow springs seems to work well. I can't recall the last time I had to adjust the levelling, as it just stays "right" now.

Nozzle to bed distance should be about a paper thickness. I've generally found the right approach is to heat the nozzle and bed up to temperature, then adjust the head down until a sheet of plain white paper just starts to drag (i.e. it's just starting to be caught between the nozzle and the bed, but can still just be dragged across the build plate).

Bed cleanliness is important. Any oil from your skin can stop PLA sticking. I've always used a flexible magnetic sheet, but periodically wipe it with a bit of meths on a paper towel.

On the stock heater + heat break, the PTFE tube will degrade over time, and can also slip upwards (leading to molten plastic clogging up the top of the heater). Periodic clipping of the tube and reseating is a good idea. The Capricorn replacement tube is also slightly better quality. I've basically eliminated this issue by using a Slice Bimetallic heat brake (Copperhead Heat Break C-E) which prevents the PTFE from seeing high temperatures. The longer/better melt zone also helped, and allows a shorter filament retract length (about 2mm instead of 6mm).

A BLTouch (or CRTouch) is also a great addition, as it does mesh bed levelling and gives near perfect first layers.

All these parts I've installed myself, but as noted earlier in the thread, the newer Ender 3 V2 NEO gives you the magnetic plate and CRTouch out of the box.

I also installed the Jyers firmware fork of Marlin, as it had a lot of UI improvements. That's gone now with the addition of the Creality Sonic Pad, but I can highly recommend Jyers.

 

[LancsRick]

I'd use ipa rather than meths as you'll get a residue with meths.

 

[sploo]

I'd use ipa rather than meths as you'll get a residue with meths.

Interesting. I've not noticed any visible residue on the flex plate (and not noticed any printing issues). I have IPA so could easily use that instead though. What residue will the meths leave?

 

[LancsRick]

Interesting. I've not noticed any visible residue on the flex plate (and not noticed any printing issues). I have IPA so could easily use that instead though. What residue will the meths leave?

Pure meths wouldn't, but in the UK we add purple dye and a bitter additive to stop people drinking it. Ipa is best as your regular option, and if the surface needs a periodic refresh then a wipe with acetone and/or a light scuff with scotchbrite will do wonders.

 

[BradyS]

What would people recommend ? Budget up to £750

This is what I would higly recommend to you for this budget: Qidi X-Max II, large size 3d printer
I have their X-Plus which, at the time of my purchase, had this price. They mainly print out of the box but are machines that have existed for years and are well-tested and upgraded.

Does anyone have experience of the Bambu Lab P1P

I do not have experience in the matter. What I can tell you is that I've been a member of their group since its inception. I have seen a lot of people complain and having issues to get various issues resolved. However, I have seen most of this issues actually getting resolved. They have innovative products and like with all innovation the beginning is challenging. My recommendation if you want one of their products is to join their Facebook or Discord groups and read the topics there, get some preview from the actual users before making up your mind. You could also ask your questions or ask for pros and cons before you buy.

 

[fezman]

If you're not looking to tinker much then you will struggle as there's still a strong element of that in consumer printers.

At that price point a Prusa Mk3 or Mk4 would serve you well - they're famously reliable, have a huge userbase, and it's all open source so you're not locked into any proprietary system. They'll also tolerate being enclosed if you decide you want to play with ABS+ in the future.

If you want resin, you've got a variety of offerings from Elegoo and Anycubic as the market leaders.

The "ready built" market is now catching up to the enthusiast market with more CoreXY designs available. Bambu has already been mentioned and would fit your budget. They're more complex than bed slingers but able to reach much faster print speeds through their greater acceleration abilities.

Finally, included for completeness but utterly failing your "don't want to tinker" requirement would be something like Vorons (I use these myself) but they're complete self build, including all the necessary tuning to get them working as you wish. These are more of an option when 3d printing in itself is of interest to you rather than the end output.

One important consideration you haven't mentioned - what are you intending to print?

Well, a load of things come to mind.
Workshop jigs - many of these
Household items - quite a few of these
A couple of bathroom items
A chess set - for an intended chess board make
A couple of car related items
Some office related items including headphone holders, battery holders, Drawer organisers
a few tool related items , Bandsaw, Tablesaw, Tracksaw, Router etc.

I absolutely have no intention of printing the model / cosplay items. So probably don't need the AMS or equivalent.

 

[fezman]

I understand the stock bed springs aren't great, so it's advisable to buy better ones. This (Creality 3D Printer Upgraded 4Pcs Aluminum Hand Twist Leveling Nuts and 4Pcs Hot Bed Springs for Ender 3/3 Pro, Ender 5/5 Plus/5 Pro, CR-10/10S/10S Pro V2: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science) with the yellow springs seems to work well. I can't recall the last time I had to adjust the levelling, as it just stays "right" now.

Nozzle to bed distance should be about a paper thickness. I've generally found the right approach is to heat the nozzle and bed up to temperature, then adjust the head down until a sheet of plain white paper just starts to drag (i.e. it's just starting to be caught between the nozzle and the bed, but can still just be dragged across the build plate).

Bed cleanliness is important. Any oil from your skin can stop PLA sticking. I've always used a flexible magnetic sheet, but periodically wipe it with a bit of meths on a paper towel.

On the stock heater + heat break, the PTFE tube will degrade over time, and can also slip upwards (leading to molten plastic clogging up the top of the heater). Periodic clipping of the tube and reseating is a good idea. The Capricorn replacement tube is also slightly better quality. I've basically eliminated this issue by using a Slice Bimetallic heat brake (Copperhead Heat Break C-E) which prevents the PTFE from seeing high temperatures. The longer/better melt zone also helped, and allows a shorter filament retract length (about 2mm instead of 6mm).

A BLTouch (or CRTouch) is also a great addition, as it does mesh bed levelling and gives near perfect first layers.

All these parts I've installed myself, but as noted earlier in the thread, the newer Ender 3 V2 NEO gives you the magnetic plate and CRTouch out of the box.

I also installed the Jyers firmware fork of Marlin, as it had a lot of UI improvements. That's gone now with the addition of the Creality Sonic Pad, but I can highly recommend Jyers.

This is pretty much why i am going down the Bambu route. If you enjoy this kind of tinkering, then fairplay to you. Personally , I am happy to pay a few £ and have something working out of the box.

After a review of my workshop, and establishing a suitable location. One that means the PC that runs the CNC could also run the 3D Printer, the X1C is the current leader. I realise that having an enclosed printer would prevent, as much as possible, a Sheeeite ton of dust getting in the printer from the CNC.

Which means the budget has just gone north to £1192!!!

 

[BradyS]

a Sheeeite ton of dust

Or you can use the difference in price from 750 pounds to invest in proper air filtration, which, coupled with dust extraction, would bring you several other benefits. Just a thought.